United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Heathrow asks staff to take voluntary redundancy
Heathrow Airport has launched a voluntary redundancy scheme and warned it cannot rule out further job cuts.
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: "Throughout this crisis we have tried to protect frontline jobs but this is no longer sustainable, and we have now agreed a voluntary severance scheme with our union partners.
"While we cannot rule out further job reductions, we will continue to explore options to minimise the number of job losses."
Heathrow, which has 7,000 directly employed staff has already cut a third of its managerial roles.
In total, 76,000 people are employed across 400 different companies at the airport.
British Airways, which operates the most flights to and from the airport, has already announced a plan to cut up to 12,000 jobs.
Last week, Holland-Kaye told the City AM podcast that cuts being made by airlines mean around 25,000 of these jobs could be at risk.
Last month, he warned social distancing at airports would not work and urged the Government to work on alternative proposals to re-boot the aviation industry.
In May, 228,000 passengers travelled through the airport, down 97% on the same month last year.
Year-on-year demand across the first five months of 2020 is now down 44%.
Heathrow said in a statement that the ‘grim picture is set to continue’ as the 14-day quarantine policy came into force on Monday.
It added: "Heathrow is urging the government to establish air bridges to low risk countries that will enable the country to restart its economy in earnest, protecting livelihoods in aviation and the sectors that rely on it."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel